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The evolution of gaming: From 8-bit to today

The history of gaming is as long and complex as the Lost Levels of Super Mario Bros., and it's filled with its fair share of drama, intrigue, and fierce opinion.

From a technical standpoint, the advancements of the past half-century have been fascinating to witness. Heritage gamers have watched the industry transform from classic hits like Pong and old-school, 8-bit games to the immersive, cinematic experiences of today. This incredible evolution is due in part to major advancements in computer processing power. (A 2015 data visualization of this evolution shows us how computer power has increased a trillion-fold over just six decades.)

And as we look to the future of the industry, mobile devices like smartphones along with AR and VR technologies are likely to bring gaming capabilities to the next level — no pun intended.

Below is a brief history of some of gaming's major milestones, and a look at what's in store for the future.

1970s: The birth of a cultural zeitgeist

There are mixed opinions about when video games officially became "a thing," though a few major technological advancements dot the timeline of the 1950s and '60s. The first computer games emerged as early as the 1940s, but the '50s is when the ball really started rolling with programs for things like chess, tic-tac-toe, and blackjack. These landmark developments were quickly followed by more and different types of games, propelled by the arrival of BASIC computer programming language in 1964.

The '70s saw the dawn of the arcade era, as well as the first iterations of classic favourites like The Oregon Trail and Space Invaders. In 1975, the world's first microprocessor was unveiled (the Intel 4004, with 640 bytes of memory), which would have an incalculable effect on the possibilities for multiplayer gaming. It's during this decade, too, that the first video game consoles began making their way into consumer homes.

By the '80s, gaming had become synonymous with teenagers. It was a massive (and profitable) industry — and a notable part of the cultural and technological zeitgeist. This is the era that ushered in many of the mainstays of gaming lore: Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Tetris, and SimCity, to name just a few. Nintendo also debuted its 8-bit gaming system, the NES, at the 1985 Consumer Electronics Show.

1980s: Out of the arcade and into your hands

The 1980s saw another significant event in the history of video games. Notably, the first-ever handheld Game Boy hit the market in 1989, which made games portable. Kids could hone their skills on the bus ride to school and adults could sneak gaming sessions during their coffee breaks.

After Game Boy — which became practically synonymous with portable gaming in general — the mobile trend was solidified, and other handheld consoles like the Lynx and Sega Genesis became ubiquitous within the gaming community. Meanwhile, the popularity of traditional gaming consoles also skyrocketed, and a shift to home gaming occurred as more powerful PCs became commonplace.

Game Boy inevitably evolved to Game Boy Pocket and Game Boy Color, and more advanced versions of portable gaming systems from companies like Nintendo and PlayStation continued to hit the market throughout the aughts.

1990s nostalgia: Gaming goes online

Limited processing power and primitive graphics formats in the nascent years of the digital era meant that early games, though much beloved, were far from beautiful. Classic 8-bit games were certainly enthralling and addictive — and still fetch a pretty penny on eBay as retro collectors' items — but they lacked the ability to lull the user into truly immersive gameplay. These games relied primarily on prosaic 2D architecture, which severely limited the possibilities for extensive graphics.

But in 1995, this all changed with the development of the modern graphics processor (or GPU). This year marked the introduction of the first 3D add-in cards, which eventually led to widespread adoption of 32-bit operating systems.

The dedicated GPU also took pressure off the CPU (the computer processing unit), which in and of itself was on the up and up (technologically speaking) by the mid '90s. Companies like Intel and AMD had begun releasing processors with 60 MHz in the early '90s. By the end of the decade, these speeds reached upwards of 600 HGz.

In the '90s, gaming graphics also got a serious upgrade with more robust media mixes and improved software for creating 3D characters and backgrounds. Game design came into its own as a form of artistry and ushered in a whole new world of textures, colours, shading, and intricacy.

Impressive graphics began to infiltrate the world of mobile and portable gaming, too. With the introduction of LAN networks and the internet, multiplayer online gaming became the new norm.

These upgrades — coupled with yet more improvements in design technology and processing power — set the stage for the games of today, which feature stunning visuals, fully fleshed-out plot-lines, and veritable virtual universes.

Modern gaming: Mobile devices open up new possibilities

With the proliferation of mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, a new era of portable technology has made gaming more accessible and commercial than ever before. Even people who had never considered themselves "gamers" in the most literal sense of the word now discover themselves hooked to the screen, engrossed in Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja.

Of course, the classics have their place in the mix, too. Industry titans like Nintendo are consistently on the cutting-edge of gaming tech. With Pokemon GO, released in 2016, Nintendo (partnering with Niantic) showed the world that it's capable of embracing mobile technology in exciting new ways.

Image: oneplus

And the hardware is becoming more impressive, too. We’ve come a long way since the days of measly 640 bytes of memory. The OnePlus 5, for example, is built with gamers in mind. With the industry-leading Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 835 processor and up to 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM, it's a powerful gaming device that you can fit in your pocket. Lightning fast charging with Dash Charge and incredible power efficiency mean you'll be able to play for hours on end, regardless of whether your gaming preferences lean toward the traditional, or you're simply a casual player of Clash Royale.

Gaming has made remarkable leaps and bounds in the past half a century. In 2017, big gaming comes in small packages — and the future of mobile gaming is shaping up to be a bright one.

Mashable
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